


Because You're You

by SilverySparks



Series: From Jalec to Malec [3]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Adorable Alec, Book 2: City of Ashes, Fluff, M/M, Making Up, Malec, Oneshot, Romance, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 07:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6070075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverySparks/pseuds/SilverySparks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Alec denied his relationship with Magnus to hide his homosexuality from Jace, he goes to Magnus's to apologize. </p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Magnus couldn't stop himself, he burst out laughing. This was the Alec he had missed so much, shy, sweet, self-conscious and just himself. He looked down at the boy, and before the confusion in those beautiful eyes could turn to doubt he said, "My Alexander. You have to know that I'm in love with you."</p>
<p>...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Because You're You

**Author's Note:**

> Summary of Not Dating: Jace reveals that he knows about Magnus's and Alec's relationship, but Alec denies everything. Magnus is not amused.
> 
> Summary of Be Happy For Me: Jace makes Alec confront his feelings the first time they are alone together after Not Dating.

When Magnus heard Alec’s voice on the intercom, he was sorely tempted to ignore it. Pretend he wasn’t home. Leave Alec standing outside in the gusty street. He certainly deserved it.

But pretending not to be home was something cowards did. And, unlike his apparently-not-boyfriend, Magnus was not a coward. So he forced himself to push the ‘speak’ button and said, “I’m sorry, who?”

“Alec,” Alec said again. “Alec Lightwood. Um, you know… oh.” There was a pause as Alec caught up with the sarcasm. Then, “I’d like to come in and talk to you. If that’s okay. Please.”

Magnus pushed the door opener without a reply.

When Alec came hurrying up the stairs, Magnus was already leaning in the doorway of his flat, his arms crossed before his chest and wearing a very disgruntled expression. The shadowhunter’s steps slowed at the sight of him, a fact that filled Magnus with grim satisfaction. He waited.

“Um,” Alec said. “Hi.”

“Which of you is it?”

“Which of us is what?” Alec asked, confused.

“Which of your little shadowhunter friends has stubbed his toe this time,” Magnus said. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

Alec stared at him, looking like a puppy that has taken a wrong turn and suddenly finds itself confronted by three Rottweilers.

“No,” he said timidly.

“Well then,” Magnus said, pushing himself off of the wall and opening the door to his apartment, “I really don’t know why you’re here. Since we’re not dating.” He turned around to step back into the loft.

“I’m here to apologize,” Alec said behind him. His voice was uncharacteristically firm. Magnus paused.

“You could have said that over the intercom,” he said over his shoulder, despising himself for his harshness. “Said ‘sorry’ and left. That would have saved the both of us this uncomfortable conversation.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Alec said defiantly. “I wanted to do this properly.”

At this, Magnus almost turned back towards the boy entirely before he stopped himself and settled for an awkward sideways position. “Why?”

He could see Alec’s eyes blaze darkly as the shadowhunter looked squarely up at him and replied, “Because you’re worth it.”

Magnus stared at him, dumbstruck. That sentence, in that tone, was so unlike Alec that Magnus wondered for a second if Jace or Izzy had scripted this conversation for him. But then again, it had surprised him, and that was very much like Alec and very unlike Blondie.

Alec mistook his silence for indifference. “I mean, you mean a lot to me,” he plunged on desperately. “And I really wanted to make it up to you, because I know I acted like a jerk–“

“Alexander.” Magnus was surprised at how deep and fervent his voice was as he stepped forward and took Alec’s wrists.

“…and I really didn’t mean to–“ Alec cut off in midsentence and stared up at him with wide eyes. “Yes?”

“Come in,” Magnus said, still in that deep, throaty voice he wasn’t entirely sure belonged to him, and pulled the shadowhunter into the loft.

Once inside, he sat the very tense Alec down on the couch and shoved a cup of tea into his hands. He only realized his mistake when the mug almost slipped out of the boy’s trembling fingers, but even in this unsettled condition Alec possessed the presence of mind to catch the cup and put it down safely on the table. Then he pushed his hands under his thighs and looked uncertainly up at Magnus, clearly waiting for permission to speak.

Magnus felt disgusted with the way he had treated the boy before.

He of all people should know how hard it was to be something everyone else found repulsive. He of all people should understand fear of losing your family’s affection. He of all people should have supported Alec. Instead he had made his situation worse.

He sat down in the armchair opposite Alec and raised his eyes to meet the boy’s. “I should apologize too,” he said gently. “I understand why you did it.”

Alec shook his head. “Please let me do this,” he said. When Magnus nodded, he took a deep breath.

“I want you to know that I have talked with Jace. He knows that… how I feel about him. And we all know it makes no sense for me to keep running after him.”

Magnus could tell how much effort and courage it took for Alec to say these words as calmly as he did. He saw the boy beneath the surface, nervous and ashamed and still afraid of what he was. It made Magnus sad, and angry at the community of Nephilim – because what he saw was beautiful.

“I also want you to know that I… that you’re very important to me,” Alec went on. “When I denied our relationship I realised that… that I didn’t want to _not_ be in a relationship with you. If that makes sense,” he said self-consciously.

And then, under his breath, more to himself than to Magnus, he added, “In that way, you certainly mean more to me than Jace. For whatever that’s worth.”

It was worth everything. Magnus hadn’t realised just how much this meant to him until he heard Alec say it aloud. Alec liked him more than Jace, in a romantic way at least. For now, that was all he needed.

“So,” Alec said, rapidly losing his controlled manner and turning back into the tense, timid, trembling boy he was underneath, “I was wondering if… if we were, you know… still _together_. Which I’d really like to be. If that’s okay. Please?” He looked imploringly up at Magnus.

Magnus was pretty sure that it wasn’t physically possible for a heart to melt, at least not while the heart’s owner was alive. But then he wasn’t really sure of anything anymore, because as he looked at Alec Lightwood looking at him with wide and pleading lake blue eyes surrounded by a jet-black fringe, with his hands trembling and his brow half furrowed in an expression of uncertainty, the thought of his heart actually melting didn’t seem quite so unlikely anymore.

He stood up and crossed over to the sofa Alec was sitting on. He sat down next to him, took the boy’s hands in his, and, when he had found his voice, said, “Alec. My Alexander. I…“ He took a deep breath, then shook his head as words failed him. Instead, he put one hand on the back of Alec’s neck and kissed him.

He saw surprise flicker across the boy’s features before they both closed their eyes, leaning into the kiss. Magnus breathed in the warmth and the familiar smell of Alec’s moth-eaten sweater as he wrapped his arms around the shadowhunter, pulling him closer. He relished the feeling of Alec’s lips on his, Alec’s tongue in his mouth, and he remembered the last time he had almost made the mistake of leaving Alec, halfway through their first date; and the kiss on the landing afterwards when he had realised just how much he would have missed if he had actually gone through with it.

This kiss was the same, only more; for this time Alec was not just an incredibly good-looking shadowhunter he barely knew, this time he was Alexander, _his_ Alexander, _his_ shadowhunter, and between lips and warmth and stuttering heartbeats Magnus somehow mustered the concentration to think, _Next time…_ – he gasped as Alec bit down gently on his lower lip – _…I should really…_ – somehow his hand had found its way under Alec’s shirt, and feeling the hard muscles under the smooth skin sent an electric current from his fingers to the tips of his toes – _…think twice…_ – Alec’s fingertips raked lightly over Magnus’s scalp and effectively shut down his brain activity for a moment – _…about chasing this one…_ – Alec’s hand caressed the inside of his thigh and Magnus’s heart rate doubled immediately – … _away_ , he finished triumphantly and gently pulled out of the kiss.

They looked at each other, panting, with gleaming eyes. Alec bit his lip. And then, timidly and with that honest innocence that was so typical for him, the boy asked, “Is that a yes?”

Magnus couldn’t stop himself, he burst out laughing. This was the Alec he had missed so much, shy, sweet, self-conscious and just _himself_. He looked down at the boy, and before the confusion in those beautiful eyes could turn into doubt he said, “My Alexander. You have to know that I’m in love with you.”

Alec’s eyes widened in surprise, and after a moment’s stunned silence he said incredulously, “You– why?”

Magnus’s expression turned serious, although he was still so full of love and happiness he felt it must be radiating from him like a halo. “Why?” he repeated softly, taking Alec’s hands. “Alexander, you’re _you_. How could I not love you?”

And as the boy sat speechless, Magnus leaned forward and gently touched his lips to Alec’s once more. With a tiny smile he whispered, “By the way… that’s a yes.”


End file.
